Fungal genomics: a tool to explore central metabolism of Aspergillus fumigatus and its role in virulence.

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus that primarily infects neutropenic animal hosts. This fungus is found throughout the world, can utilize a wide range of substrates for carbon and nitrogen sources, and is capable of growing at elevated temperatures. The ability to grow at high temperatures and utilize a range of nutrient substrates for growth potentially contributes to this being the number one human pathogenic mold worldwide. The recently completed genome sequence for this fungus creates an opportunity to examine how central metabolic pathways and their regulation contribute to pathogenesis. A review of the existing literature illustrates that genes involved in the biosynthesis of key nutrients are essential for pathogenesis in A. fumigatus. In addition, nutrient sensing and regulation of biosynthetic pathways also contribute to fungal pathogenesis. The advent of improved methods for manipulating the genome of A. fumigatus, along with the completed genome sequence, now make it feasible to investigate the role of all metabolic pathways and control of these pathways in fungal virulence.